Car-door-operating mechanism



A. CHRISUANSON. CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULYHi 1919.

R VENTQR A.CHRISHANSON. CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLIVCATION FILED mule, 1919.

1,378,21 6. Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 2

' INVEN' I'QR were STATS ANDREW CHRISTIANSON,

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OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD PENNSYLVANIA.

CAB-DOOB-OPEBATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17,1921.

Application filed July 16, 1919. Serial No. 311,121.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW CHRISTIAN- SON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Butler, in the county of Butler and tate of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Door-Operating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to car-door operat ing mechanism.

The invention has particular reference to door mechanism for use in connection with side dump cars. where the doors extend along the sides of the car and swing outwardly from the inclined bottom or hoppersheets.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient door operating mechanism in which the doors are opened by the weight of the contents of the car, and when opened are held in rigid open position until the operating mechanism is operated to close the same.

To these ends my invention comprises the novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a portion of a side of a car showing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1 showing the door in closed position; Fig. 3 is a like view showing the door in open position; and Fig. 4 is an end view showing the ratchet and pawl mechanism for operating the door, and Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detail views of the ratchet and pawl mechanism.

In the drawings the numeral 2 designates the lower portion of the end of a suitable dump-car; 3 the center sill; and 4 the inclined hopper-sheet stiffened and braced at its lower end by the Z-bar 5.

The doors 6 are hinged at 7 to brackets 8 riveted to the depending-plate 9 which is riveted to the side of the car.

The door-operating shaft 10 is carried by the doors extending longitudinally from one end of the car to the other. Stiffeners 11 are riveted to each end of the door, and riveted to said stiffeners are the bearings 12 through which the shaft passes.

Keyed to one end of the shaft 10 is the ratchet-wheel 13 adapted to be engaged by the pawl 14 pivotally mounted at 15 on the bracket 16 riveted to the end of the door. A dog 17 is pivotally mounted at 18 to bracket 16, said dogbeing adapted to engage the arm 19 of the pawl 14 to lock said pawl in position.

A lever seat or socket 20 is mounted loosely on the shaft 10, said socket being held in place by the cotter-pin 21, and said lever-socket has the inwardly extending flange 22 which enters an annulargroove 23 in the ratchet-wheel 13.

Mounted loosely on the hub of, the ratchetwheel 13 is the plate 24:. This plate is riveted to the lever socket by meansofthe rivets 25.

Mounted on the stud 26 on the flange portion 27 of the lever-socket 20 is the pawl 28 adapted to be thrown into engagement with the ratchet-wheel 13.

Keyed to the shaft 10 is the crank-arm 29, and pivoted to the outer end of said crank-arm is the link 30, said link being connected at its opposite end to the hooklink 31. The link 30 is made of two straps riveted together, and the hook-link 31 is arranged between said straps and held therein by the pin 32.

The inner end of the hook-link 31 is connected to the eye-bolt 33 by the pivot-pin 34. This eye-bolt 33 is mounted in a bracket 35 which is riveted to the hopper-sheet. The outer end of the eye-bolt 33 is threaded and is engaged by the nut 36 by means of which the eye-bolt 33 may be adjusted for taking up wear in the door connections as will more fully hereinafter appear.

In the operation of my improved doormechanism, when it is desired to open the door, the dog 17 is forced out of engagement with the arm 19 of the pawl 14;, and said pawl is thrown over into position indicated in dotted lines Fig. 4;. The operator then inserts his lever into the lever socket, the pawl 28 having been thrown around in position to engage the ratchet-wheel 13. The operator then manipulates his lever so as to turn the shaft. Just as soon as the pivotal point 32 is thrown above the center shaft 10 the weight of the contents of the car forcing against the door will act to move the door to full open position orto the position indicated in Fig. 3. By this operation the hook-link 31, the link 30, and the crankof the projection 29 on the crank-arm 29 will,

support the pivot 30 so as to make a rigid point between the link 30 and the crank-arm 29 when in extended position. The stop 30 on the link 30 will act to make a rigid co11 nection at the pivot 32 between the link 30 and the hook-link 31 when said parts are in the extended position.

It will be apparent that just as soon as the operator works the lever to move the shaft 10 sufficiently to throw the pivot 32 above the center of the shaft 10 the door is free to open, and as the lever-socket and the plate 27 connected therewith are loosely mounted on the shaft, the shaft and the ratchet-wheel 13 can turn independently of the leversocket so that no jar or jolt is given to the operator by holding onto the lever.

When it is desired to close the door the pawl 1 1 is thrown around to the position shown in full lines Fig. 4c; and the pawl 28 is brought up into position to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 13, whereupon by inserting the operating lever in the leversocket the shaft 10 is turned until the parts are brought into the position shownin Fig.

2, whereupon the dog 17 is moved into'position to engage the finger 19 of the pawl 14 so as to lock the parts securely in position.

it will be apparent that if any wear takes place in the parts which will prevent the door from making a tight fit when closed the nut 36 may be adjusted so as to take up any such wear or slack and thus provide for the tight closing of the door.

hat I claim is:

In door operating mechanism for side dump-cars, the combination of a swinging door, a shaft journaled in said door, winding connections between said shaft and the car body, a ratchet-wheel rigidly mounted on said shaft, and a lever socket loosely mounted on said shaft, a plate loosely mounted on said shaft connected to said leversocket, said ratchet-wheel being located between said plate and said lever socket, a holding. pawl for said ratchet-wheel, and a pawl mounted between said plate and said lever socket.

In testimony whereof, I, the said ANDREW CHnisrIANsoN, have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW OHRISTIANS ON, lVitnesses:

WV. EUGENE MOCAFFERTY, JOHN L. HALLERAN. 

